New RRTS Trains To Be Named ‘Namo Bharat’; Congress Slams PM Modi Alleging Self-Obsession

The trains of the Regional Rapid Transit System (RRTS), which will be inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday, will be known as ‘Namo Bharat’. This decision has sparked criticism from the Congress, who call it a sign of the Prime Minister’s self-obsession.

The RRTS’s 17-kilometer priority section between Delhi, Ghaziabad, and Meerut is scheduled to open on October 21, following its inauguration. This stretch encompasses five stations: Sahibabad, Ghaziabad, Guldhar, Duhai, and Duhai Depot.

Prime Minister Modi laid the foundation stone for this corridor on March 8, 2019, with the project aligning with his vision of enhancing regional connectivity through world-class transport infrastructure.

The RRTS is a state-of-the-art rail-based transit system with a design speed of 180 kmph, designed to offer high-speed intercity commuting every 15 minutes, with the flexibility to increase frequency to every five minutes based on demand.

The National Capital Region is set to benefit from a total of eight RRTS corridors, with three priority corridors in Phase-I: Delhi–Ghaziabad–Meerut, Delhi-Gurugram-SNB-Alwar, and Delhi-Panipat.

The Delhi-Ghaziabad-Meerut corridor, developed at a cost exceeding Rs 30,000 crore, will provide a one-hour travel time from Delhi to Meerut through urban centres like Ghaziabad, Muradnagar, and Modinagar.

Despite criticism from Congress leaders like Jairam Ramesh and Pawan Khera, the RRTS is hailed as a world-class regional mobility solution.